Lamar Odom quotes

Here's what Lamar Odom had to say after practice today...

On when he knows he's ready to play...
``You just try to get as strong as you can and throw yourself into the fire a little bit and mix it up with the guys. I got banged around a couple times today and I feel OK. I go all out. That's how I play. It's the college football mentality, right? Just go out there. We're athletes, so we have to play in pain sometimes. It took me some time to come back from this injury but I feel like I'm ready.''

On whether he believes he will think about the shoulder while playing...
``Not really. I just put my helmet on and tighten my chin strap and just go out and play.''

On what he takes away from the Lakers' first four games this season...
``We understand that if we play consistent defense and we move the ball and we execute offensively, probably there isn't a team we can't beat in this league. I think we've proved that. It's just about playing consistent, playing the same way all the time. Once we do that, we'll be OK.''